Wow. I really hate that I have to give my first one star rating to one of Maggie Stiefvater's books. I lover her writing style and humor. But this booWow. I really hate that I have to give my first one star rating to one of Maggie Stiefvater's books. I lover her writing style and humor. But this book really didn't do it for me. It moved so slow, I had to force myself to finish it. In Lament, James was one of my favorite characters. But by the end of this book, I didn't like him at all. He really was as selfish as everyone kept saying and such a little baby too. Maybe I felt more invested in Dee's life because of the first book, but I really hated the way he treated her. I realize she should not have kissed him, but he really held that over her. Even after he "fell in love" with Nuala. You would have thought he would have a little more compassion for the obvious depression Dee had slipped into. Then to top it all off, after he found out she sacrificed Luke's life for his, in the last book, he still had trouble deciding whether or not to tear himself away from the fire and away from Nuala to go save Dee. In fact when he did finally do it, he didn't go racing after Dee to save her, he rationalized leaving Nuala to "save the world." That just annoyed the crap out of me. Some friend he was, after 9 years! Then after he found her he was still short with her. I didn't see much compassion from him at all towards her. Jeez, she was really gonna pay for not loving him back the same way he loved her wasn't she?! Although he said in the book that his love for her was nothing compared to what he felt for Nuala... sheesh, I found that hard to believe! If that was the case then why couldn't he forgive her?!

Nuala. She was interesting, and I liked her, but I didn't care for her like I should have by the end of the book. The thought of her dying didn't bother me like it did when Luke was facing death at the end of Lament. I didn't feel attached to these characters at all. I missed Dee's presence and sometimes resented Nuala's presence. I also really hated the lack of closure to Dee's story. I just really did not enjoy this book.

Next time I will make sure I read the book before I go to a book signing and have the book signed to me and my daughter. Of all her books, this the only one I didn't like and the only one she signed TO us. grrrrr I don't know what I was thinking! Why wouldn't I have her sign Shiver to us? That is the book that made me fall in love with Maggie. Even despite this book, I will read everything she writes. Because even though I didn't like this one, I have loved everything else I have read by her....more

Lily is a mermaid princess, living on land with her human aunt. She is only a few weeks away from her 18 birthday. She needs to find her mermate beforLily is a mermaid princess, living on land with her human aunt. She is only a few weeks away from her 18 birthday. She needs to find her mermate before then or forfeit the crown. But Lily has found her mate. She found him 3 years ago when she first went to live with her aunt. The only problem is she needs Brody to see her as more than a friend. But every time she gets the chance to make a move her bad boy biker neighbor Quince seems to mess everything up.

I've really been in a mermaid mood lately. I bought this book about a year ago and I finally sat down and read it. I liked the story, but there were things that really annoyed me. Like Lily. She was clueless, and grumpy through a lot of this book.

I loved the idea of a mermaid princess looking for her mate. I thought the story moved along at a nice pace. I was never bored with the story and I liked that it didn't take her half the book to reveal her secret. I loved it when they were underwater and my favorite part of the whole book was when they were on the island during the challenge.

I loved how much Quince obviously loved Lily. I loved it when he came running outside to check on her just because he could feel her fear. Then I loved that he punched Brody in the face... repeatedly. Not that Brody was a bad guy, but I got to where I couldn't stand him just because of Lily's obsession with him. Also, Quince was supposed to be a bad boy, but he seemed pretty tame to me. Just because he wore leather and rode a motorcycle didn't make him a bad boy. But I didn't really care, I liked him.

Now the major thing that annoyed me was their separation. Lily went through with the separation even after she finally realizes she has feelings for Quince, because she didn't want him to sacrifice any part of his life for her. Instead of letting him choose for himself, she made the decision for both of them.

And then she goes and gives up her future for HIM! So she does the exact thing she wouldn't let him do. Now this is only the first book of three, so maybe, hopefully, something will happen in the next two that gives her both worlds. Quince and her kingdom... and for Quince to have the ability to turn into a mermaid. I read a book a book about mermaids because I want to read about a life completely different from my own. I find it really disappointing when the mermaid chooses to live the life of a human in the end of the book. I don't want to read about her being normal, and choosing a normal life. I already live that. Boring. But like I said, this is only the first book, so all this ranting could be for nothing. I hope it is for nothing. Because I want to read more of this...

**spoiler alert** UGH!! What the heck?!!! Calla makes me so angry!! I REALLY don't see how Shay attracts her! I got so annoyed SO many times throughou**spoiler alert** UGH!! What the heck?!!! Calla makes me so angry!! I REALLY don't see how Shay attracts her! I got so annoyed SO many times throughout this book. Every time Shay touched her it made me mad, but I really hated how she would feel guilty about leaving Ren behind, and then let Shay comfort her. What is that?

This book was sort of slow. It was a lot of talk, and very little action. Geez I got so tired of all the history lessons, and explanations about how things worked. That was the majority of the book really. There was some romance I guess, but I hated it all because it was mostly with Shay. I was so glad when they finally went and fought! When Calla finally went back for her pack, and for Ren. I had to read almost 300 pages to finally get some Ren! And then it only last for 10 pages. A 400 page book, and I only get 10 pages of REN? GGGGRRRR?!!!

All I seem to be doing is complaining about this series, but I think it's because I'm SO afraid she is going to choose Shay. In a way, she already has, over and over again. The story is about Shay and Calla. Ren confuses her feelings, for Shay. If this was going to be a love story about Ren and Calla, there would be more Ren, I think. Unless she's doing the Twilight, New Moon thing, Edward was hardly in New Moon. Except even with that comparison, JACOB confused Bella's feelings for Edward, but the story was always about Bella and Edward. I think Ren is Jacob in this series. This does make me wonder if this is how all the Team Jacob fans felt. Do they hate Edward? Because if the next book ends the way I see it ending, I'm going to hate Shay. I think Ren represents her past, and though she has feelings for him, I think those feelings are directly connected to the comfortable memories of the past, when things were easier. Before her world was sent into chaos. Shay represents a chance to live and make choices for herself, to choose who she will love and be with. So it would make sense for her to CHOOSE Shay. What would blow everyone's mind would be if even after she realizes she can make her own choice, she STILL picks Ren, because she loves him of her own free will, not because someone is telling her to be with him. THATS what I want! That ending would make this an awesome series, in my opinion. So come on Cremer, I dare you to BLOW MY MIND!! Please... blow my mind?

Oh and, NOT happy about her physically choosing Shay after she thought Ren chose the keepers. GAH that makes me angry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Favorite Quotes

"It's not over," I barley managed to whisper.

"What's not over?"

"Me and Ren."

~Shay and Calla (I loved the quotes like this, but her actions didn't always reflect these comments. grrrr)

“You’re not getting out of this,” he growled, pulling me against him. “I’m not letting you go. Not again.” “I know,” I said, not resisting when he kissed me, wondering just how deep a hole I was digging myself into. But I was afraid that saying anything to counter Ren’s hopes would make him change his mind about coming with me. I couldn’t let that happen. “Good.” I felt him smile through the kiss.

GOOD REN!! Fight for her! Don't let her go this time! I can't wait to read this book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After reading the book

I have had this book for a little over a month now, and I've been afraid to read it. I didn't want to be disappointed. I finally forced myself to read it... and finish it, because after a certain point I had no reason to keep reading. Page 336. I could have stopped after that. I wanted to stop living after page 336. ggggrrrrr

(view spoiler)[Wow... so, where do I even begin. I have no idea how to rate this book. There were so many things that I hated about this, and then so many things that made me think Andrea Cremer is an awesome writer because she got my emotions SO wrapped up in this series.

First off, I want to say that the little teaser that was released before the book was released was a total misrepresentation. I read that thinking, this is it! This is Calla and Ren's book! But that was all crap. The first chapter was the most Ren and Calla spoke or interacted with each other at one time. Totally ticked me off. I'm surprised Ren didn't get a little angry with her, because the way she was acting in the first chapter was totally opposite of how she acted throughout the rest of the book. She gave him false hope to get him to go back with her, but he never questioned her once they got back to the Academy.

While I'm at it I might as well keep ranting about Ren's story. I think it was safe to say that the fans of this book were overwhelmingly Team REN. And even though I saw this coming from a mile away I was STILL mad when it happened... (so here is my message to Andrea Cremer, who I believe thought this would fix the whole Ren/Shay problem)

KILLING REN OFF DID NOT MAKE ME LIKE SHAY ANY MORE THAN BEFORE!!!!

It just made me mad and sad, and yes I shed a tear. It also made me mad at Calla. What the heck, she kept pushing him away throughout the whole book, every time he touched her she would move away or look at Shay worried about his reaction. Ugh, so it took Ren DYING for her to suddenly evoke some response and feelings for Ren, that she kept saying were there, but never showed. Of course it didn't last long, because when they circled Ren's body to mourn him she starts explaining how Ren was her past and deep down she always knew she didn't love him enough to be with him.

What. the. HECK?!

Poor freakin' Ren can't catch a break with her even after he's dead!

Ugh ugh UGH I just hated that part of the book! I knew back on page 288 that I should have stopped reading, because Calla made her choice, as if I didn't already know it was coming, but I knew Ren was done after that.

OK another little gripe having to do with Ren was his relationship with Adne. It was so unrealistic. They fell into a brother/sister relationship way too fast. No awkwardness or anything. It was just weird. Ren getting all protective when Adne and Conner finally give into their feelings for each other. It was too soon. He knew Adne as for all of like 5 days MAYBE and he was already acting that way. Whatevs.

The action and the suspense was great in this book. This book made up for Wolfsbane's lack of action. I was so bored when I read that book, but this one was action packed! Which was great. I loved reading all that, even though I was annoyed through most of it because of the Calla/Shay/Ren triangle. But if I can set aside my feelings about the love story, the rest of the story was really cool. I enjoyed it... that is until the end.

I'm not sure how I feel about the end. I guess it kind of makes sense that when the gates closed, all the magic that was used after opening them would have to go back to normal. But wouldn't they just remain humans then? And if following Cremer's logic, HOW did Shay stay a wolf? The only way I would have liked it, is if Ren had not died, and Shay had to stay human. That way Calla and Ren could be together with their pack just like it was always meant to be, just like Ren kept saying, and just like Calla kept thinking when she would see Ren. It would have made sense. What didn't make sense, is that they all had to return to their natural states, but Shay became a wolf which was NOT his natural state. All for the sake of a happy ending, which, in my opinion wasn't happy. It was bitter sweet at best, and well, she didn't end up with Ren so it wasn't a happy ending for me! NOT that Calla deserved Ren. But Ren wanted her so I wanted Ren to be happy.

SO like I said, I'm having a hard time rating this book, because although I enjoyed the story, I hated the love story. And when it comes down to it, I liked the sense of community and purpose and lifestyle Calla lived in at the beginning of the series. Even though it was oppressive and they were totally working for the wrong side, what sucked me in was the first book. I hate how everything was turned upside down, families torn apart, packs torn apart, friendships died, and it was never going to go back to that. After this book, a large portion of the town vanished. All the wolves and keepers gone. I hated that. I liked how in the beginning, they all worked together to protect something, they all knew their place in their community and knew their future. By the end of the series it all had changed so much, that most of the characters weren't even human anymore. It made me sad.

Oh yeah and another thing that bothered me, was how Calla mourned her mother's death for all of about 2 seconds. It seemed like it could have weighed on her conscience a little more than it did.

I guess I'm done. I'm emotionally exhausted after reading this book, because I was just mad through most of it. I don't know why either, because I knew it wasn't going to end the way I wanted, but I kept holding out hope that Andrea Cremer would listen to her fans. :(

......10 minutes later

Ok so I'm back. The more I have thought about this the angrier I have become. Did Cremer not see the overwhelming following that she had for REN?! I have read through review after review and I have not found ONE STINKIN' PERSON who liked boring SHAY!! It's almost like she set out to write this series, she made the hero and when she realized nobody liked the hero she just decided to kill off his competition to fix it, and she killed him off in such a terrible way!! Ren fought like a warrior, like a guardian throughout the whole book, and then he dies because he leaps too high? What the frick is that?! And not only does he die because of a mistake, but he is killed by the stupid man who "raised" him?! Poor Ren died an embarrassing death, and lost Calla all in the same day. Calla basically told him before the fight that she chose Shay, the stupid witch. I'm getting more and more mad about this stupid series. Why drag us along with the whole Ren story, make us fall in love with him and then kill him like that?! I'm not sure I want to read anything else Cremer has to write.

AND WHY THE HECK DOES THIS BOOK HAVE SUCH HIGH RATINGS??!!! It has an average of 4 stars, but when I scroll through all the reviews they are all low!

OH and what about all those poor guardians who are all stuck as bears and jaguars now, having no clue why they can't change back?! Bravo Cremer! AHHHH This is making me so mad!!

WHY? JUST WHY??!!

Dij's review is exactly how I feel! Her GIF's are perfect, it cracked me up, which is good because I was ready to start throwing stuff after finishing this book.

(Edit number 3 or 4 or 5, I've lost count.)OK so after a day to ponder this I have more to rant about. And it is about Ren... again... OK so in the first book, Ren loses his future, with his pack and with Calla. Not only does she leave him, but she leaves him on their WEDDING NIGHT with another guy! Then in the second book he loses his dad. He already lost his mom, but then he finds out the father who raised him was never his father and the man who was is father gets killed seconds after he finds out. The last book, he finds out the man who raised him killed his mother. Calla STILL rejects him after leading him on, but he doesn't give up even after Calla basically tells him she chooses Shay. Then he loses his life at that hands of the man who raised him. Everything about Ren's story line is so sad. No wonder so many people had such strong feelings for Ren and resented Shay throughout the book. It just pisses me off that Cremer tried to force us to be happy with the Shay ending, by killing Ren. OK this is it. I'm not adding any more to this review/rant.(hide spoiler)]

So I just went to Andrea Cremer's website and she lucked out. Her book tour brought her within a couple hours drive from me last week. She lucked out because had I read this book last week or her tour brought her near me THIS week, I would have been there. I would have been there with all three of her books and instead of her stupid signature, I would be demanding a REFUND for all three books! I want a refund for all the time I spent engrossed in this story, for it all to come down to this crap ending. I want a refund of all the emotions she sucked out of me, for a character who was doomed from the beginning! Ren. :(

REFUND!! I WANT A REFUND!["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

**spoiler alert** Well I didn't realize this was the first book in a series. BUT I'm glad it is. I would have been REALLY angry about the ending if th**spoiler alert** Well I didn't realize this was the first book in a series. BUT I'm glad it is. I would have been REALLY angry about the ending if that was it... the end of it all. I really don't see why Alex didn't make an effort to go over the fence alongside Lena. There was no point to him standing there letting the guards get him. That made me mad... and sad... and for Lena to be so in love with Alex she sure didn't show very much emotion in the preview of the next book. Why didn't she burst into tears every time Alex entered her mind?

Here's what I think. The whole reason Oliver added the part about Lena's mother being held prisoner, ALIVE this whole time was to set the stage for Alex. Alex can't be dead, he is in the Crypts. As soon as Lena realizes this and stops thinking of him as dead, she will have to go back in there some how and get him. That is my prediction for the series. I just hope she doesn't fall in love with another boy in the next book, before she can get to Alex. Because the summary of the next book mentions forbidden love. Hopefully it is referring to Alex, but I have a feeling it is going to take a while before it is revealed that Alex is still alive....more

I had a hard time with Romeo and Juliet not being the main couple. I kept thinking something was going to happen, and they would ultimately get theirI had a hard time with Romeo and Juliet not being the main couple. I kept thinking something was going to happen, and they would ultimately get their happy ending. Especially when the chapters that were in his voice would mention how he could feel something for her. In his body that had no feelings, she could still make him feel. I liked Ben, but Benvolio and Juliet is just not the same.

I will probably read the second book about Romeo... maybe, but I have a feeling it is going to make me mad. He is going to find love with some other girl who is NOT Juliet. That just doesn't seem right to me. I liked Stacey Jay's idea of continuing Romeo and Juliet's story after death. But I don't think she should of had them fell in love with other people. It's not right. I thought everyone craved Romeo and Juliet's happy ending TOGETHER. Not them going separate ways and falling in love with other people. The more I write and the more I think about this the more mad I'm getting about this story....more

This story kind of annoyed me from the beginning. I don't understand the lying. I don't understand why he didn't just tell her to begin with it was hiThis story kind of annoyed me from the beginning. I don't understand the lying. I don't understand why he didn't just tell her to begin with it was him. Instead the whole book was one lie after another. It made me mad. So I only gave the book 2 stars, since the story frustrated me so much....more

I really didn't care for this book too much. It was kind of slow and I kept waiting for Indigo and Adam to see each other again, and when it finally hI really didn't care for this book too much. It was kind of slow and I kept waiting for Indigo and Adam to see each other again, and when it finally happened, it was quick and then the book ended. I was really disappointed with the ending. I thought it was sort of cheesy and I was left wanting more. I guess what I really wanted was for Indigo and Adam to get back together. Despite all the complaining Indigo did about Adam, I got the feeling sometimes that she still liked him. Like when he didn't call her for week, she was bothered by it. I don't know, I like love stories and I thought thats what this was. But it wasn't. It was about closure and moving on....more

OK I loved the story. I really got into it, but the dialogue was really annoying sometimes, and corny. I got so tired of Jacque and her friend's commeOK I loved the story. I really got into it, but the dialogue was really annoying sometimes, and corny. I got so tired of Jacque and her friend's comments. I think it sounds like the characters are trying too hard to be funny. Sarcasm is funny in small doses, but it seemed like every conversation Jacque had to make a sarcastic comment, and she came off sounding kind of snotty. She didn't seem mature enough for Fane. I kept cringing when Fane's father, the ALPHA, was explaining things and Jacque's friends would make stupid little comments. Ugh, could they not keep their mouths shut and show some respect for like 5 minutes. It just got so annoying. Everyone acted like the girls were funny but I think a true Alpha would have had enough and put them in their place by making them shut up. (I wish he would have. It got to the point where I started skimming the words when Jen or Sally spoke.) Also, it didn't seem very realistic that a werewolf prince would take so much crap from some human girls and their big mouths. (view spoiler)[The scene I'm thinking about in particular is after the challenge, he was freshly healed and on his way to see Jacque and Jen and Sally stop him to give him the third degree about HOW he won the challenge. Geez, he won, yeah he had scare Jacque in order to win, but he won, he's not DEAD, back off. Ugh those stupid girls needed to be knocked down a peg or two. (hide spoiler)]

I really liked Fane. He was easy to fall in love with. I just didn't see what he liked about Jacque. I realize she was his mate or whatever, but Jacque, as a person, was so annoying. I know he needed someone strong as his mate, but being sarcastic and having a temper is not the same as being strong. Her fits were more like a toddlers or a spoiled teenagers rather than a mature 17 year old, who was about to start training to become a female Alpha of the largest werewolf pack in the world. Which brings me to another thing, I don't like that she was just a human. I think it would have been cooler if once she found her mate and did the whole bonding ceremony and blood rites thing, that triggered the dormant wolf inside of her or something like that. I just think she should be a wolf too. Of course I haven't read the next book, which I think is the bonding ceremony and blood rites, but they already told her that she will not be a wolf. Thats stupid.

I was sort of surprised that her mother did not play a bigger role. It seemed like in all these conversations they had in the living room about life changing events that were about to take place, her mother would have had more to say. Her mother barely talked at all. Being a mother she should have been asking questions and letting her opinion be known. Trying to reason with her daughter when she would go into one of her childish fits. But she was very silent. It was weird.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Despite all the complaining I just did, I DID enjoy the story a lot. So here are some of the quotes I did like or found funny.

FAVORITE QUOTES

This is right after Jacque, Jen and Sally met Fane for the first time.

This was Jacque's response to seeing Fane jump out of his bedroom window.

"What the hell was that? Do you make it a habit to jump out of two story structures? Were you thinking, 'hey the front door is such a typical way to leave a place why not mix it up a bit and fall out of the window instead'?"

~Jacque

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is one of the very few times that I thought Jen was kind of funny and not just annoying.

"Well, duh!" Jen responded. "Wouldn't it wear you out if you'd just met the man of your dreams? Then it turns out he's a werewolf, then it turns out you're his mate or whatever, then it turns there's this other pack of wolves with a psycho, werewolf leader who wants you as his mate, and then it turns out..." Jen paused. "You get the picture."

I was hesitant about this story. Mostly because the love story was between a normal girl and a homeless man. I kept thinking, 'how can I relate tWow.

I was hesitant about this story. Mostly because the love story was between a normal girl and a homeless man. I kept thinking, 'how can I relate to that?' And I guess part of me kept picturing a dirty old man with a beard, whenever the word homeless entered my mind. Well, I'm SO glad that that didn't stop me from reading this book.

I fell in love with Blake and Livia almost immediately. But especially Blake. He had such a tender, pure heart and every time he opened his mouth you could hear it, which made him even more endearing because he had such a quiet almost shy way about him sometimes. With every word he spoke, his heart was on display. Most especially when he talked to or about Livia. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is the fact that he kept count of how many times she smiled at him. Ugh, it's almost heartbreakingly sweet. I love how he interpreted actions with music. He heard music through his daily life, like he had his own soundtrack. I loved it. In fact, one of my favorite scenes is when Livia gets him to play her little electric key-lighted keyboard that she got as a child.

Listening to him play was like discovering an eagle in the wild. It was tumblingly bewitching. She could feel and hear genius-she knew it.

"Blake." She didn't have to say more.

He locked his emerald eyes on hers, and she could not look away. Not for anything. He let his happy song trickle into a more intimate one. Blake's fingers moved as he held her gaze. "I wrote this one while we danced the other night," he said softly.

The music washed over her. It changed her. Refreshed her. Made her more than she was. Blake stood and twisted the keyboard around, still playing with one hand. He motioned for her with the other. She nearly ran. He scooped her up with one arm and set her on the table next to the keyboard.

"This is what nibbling your ear sounds like." Blake created a soundtrack for his teeth.

"This is what looking into your eyes sounds like." The notes were deep and beckoning.

"This is what my mind hears when my tongue is in your mouth." The kiss sounded steamy and delicate. The rhythm was her heartbeat as he sampled her mouth.

"But when you smile. When you smile it's..." Blake scooted the keyboard around behind her. He needed both hands.

She put her hands on his face and smiled in amazement as the music exploded. She couldn't imagine how her simple facial gesture could inspire such a majestic sound.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. They all had such individual personalities. But I think my two favorites, besides Blake, would definitely have to be Kyle and Beckett! OMG The two of them cracked me up. But I'll get to them in a second. I thought it was cool how as the story progressed and more characters were introduced more stories developed. By the end of the book I felt like I read 3 love stories instead of 1. I usually hate reading flashbacks and backstories in books, because I just want to get on with the story at hand. But I got so caught up in these characters lives that I WANTED to learn more about them. I wanted to know their back stories.

OK Kyle. (I've never heard that name used for a girl before, it was different. I had a hard time reading it as Kyle, because I kept thinking of a boy I went to high school with. I kept reading it as Kylie) The things that came out of Kyle's mouth were hilarious. She was so creative with her insults, she had a dirty mouth and was very R rated, but she was a ball of fire with a lot of spunk and energy. I really enjoyed her. (view spoiler)[ Little example of Kyle, when Livia is having trouble pulling herself together at her wedding Kyle says "Quit being such a snot-flinging drama queen. Suck it up and marry him." (hide spoiler)]

"[..] You scared the uterus out of me."

~Kyle

And Beckett. He was so charismatic, I just loved him from the start. He was a mobster/gangster with a surprisingly big heart. In fact everything he did, was out of love for his brothers. He totally went about things in the wrong way but he did the only thing he knew to do to keep his brothers safe and happy. His and Eve's story lines were the only thing I wasn't happy about at the end of the book. (view spoiler)[ I realize he did it to himself by killing Chris. But I hated how it ended for him. Really, it didn't feel like an ending for him, or for Eve. It doesn't make sense for two people to both love each other, and then split. Even if it is BECAUSE they love each other that they split. That just doesn't make sense. You stick together, you find a way to get through it. They seemed so perfect for each other in so many ways, right down to the fact that they both had such a soft spot for kids. Really, when does Beckett get his happy ending. It seems like everything he does is for everyone else. He sacrifices his own happiness for the people that he loves over and over. His whole lifestyle choice was out of the love he had for his brothers. (hide spoiler)] I was really hoping that there was going to be a continuation of their story, but I haven't found where Debra Anastasia has said anything about a second book. It would be hard to create a sequel I think because she wrapped up every one else's story so nicely. There was closure with everything, except Beckett and Eve. Well, thats not true either. They did get closure, but I just didn't like it. Their last scene together made my heart hurt. I'm a happy ending kind of girl, and Beckett was one of my favorites so I hurt for him in the end.

"So I'm sitting in that damn chair, ready to die, and I say to her, 'You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm so damn glad you're going to kill me instead of some brainless, toothless druggie." Beckett smiled again at the memory of his almost-murder. "Then she traded the knife for her lips, and now she works for me." Beckett put his hands behind his head and flexed his giant biceps. "She won't tell me who hired her to come here. She's the deadliest person I've ever encountered. I still think she might kill me, but I can't stop looking at her."

~Beckett

I thought Debra Anastasia was so good at writing scenes that could very easily be corny and making them beautiful. For example (view spoiler)[Blake and Livia's wedding. When I read that it was going to be at the train station, I thought that was pushing it. But having it told from Blake's point of view was perfect! Seeing it through his eyes and his emotions as he thought back about waiting in that exact train station all those hours just to get a smile from Livia, then to be standing and waiting there for her to come to him as his bride was so touching. (Since I'm talking about the wedding I want to mention now that another one of my favorite scenes was at the very beginning of their wedding and Livia wouldn't look at Blake because she knew she would start crying. So Blake got down on his knee to get her to look at him and asked her again if she would marry him. So sweet!) Or (hide spoiler)]when Livia tried for the first time to get Blake to come out in the sun. The way she did it, could have been a really corny scene except the way it was written made it beautiful.

I will definitely be reading more from this author and I will read this book over and over again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FAVORITE QUOTES

There are so many favorite quotes and scenes in this book that I'll probably end up just copying the whole book here if I include them all, so here are just a few. It was hard narrowing it down to just a few though.

"He counts. You've smiled at him four hundred and forty-six times as of a few minutes ago. He announces the number every time I see him."

~Cole (talking to Livia about Blake)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello, beautiful Livia," Blake answered.

"How did you know it was me?" Livia saw her wide smile in the rear view mirror.

"The phone looked sexier when it rang."

~Blake and Livia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was after Becketts place of business blew up and he thought Eve was inside. Eve realizes this and runs to him just before he is about to run into the burning building.

"Don't ever die in my head again. Please, never again,"

~Beckett

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After soft kisses, they pressed their hands together palm to palm. The tingling scattered all over Livia's body, warming her.

"Do you feel that?" she whispered with a smile.

His lips moved in his silent count. Blake wrapped his fingers around her hand. She copied the movement. Their hands together now resembled a heart-not a cartoon rendering of the shape, but a real human heart.

He touched her lips with his and murmured, "I've been feeling it since you first smiled at me."

~Blake and Livia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh my God! I'm engaged! I'm marrying Cole!"

"What?!" Livia squeezed her sister hard. "Let me see. When did this happen? Did you tell Dad? When is it going to be? How did he propose?"

The men stopped their congratulatory handshake to stare at the speed-talking ladies.

"Last night, not yet, four weeks from today, naked!" Kyle blurted in response

The girls became a moving, jumping circle of hug.

"Cole, you popped the question in your birthday suit?" Blake teased.

Cole put his face in his hands. "Did not think she would share that bit of information."

~Kyle, Livia, Blake and Cole

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She picked up the phone and dialed Blake's number. His silky hello made her smile.

"You're smiling, right?" His voice was so intimate.

"Of course," she murmured. "Does it still count if you don't see it?"

"It counts when I feel it," he replied.

~Blake and Livia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Beckett's probably the hardest man there is to love," Blake said. "He does life wrong for all the right reasons."

~Blake

Believe it or not I DID narrow it down. Those were not ALL my favorite quotes or scenes. This was SUCH a good book!...more

Barley anything happened. I realize this is only part 1, but I'm not willing to fork over more money based on this. It took forever for Romano and CelBarley anything happened. I realize this is only part 1, but I'm not willing to fork over more money based on this. It took forever for Romano and Celine to actually meet, or connect I guess, because she wasn't conscious after she finally made To Romano. Nothing happened. I bought a book to read basically nothing. :(...more

**spoiler alert** Wow, so I did not see the ending coming at all! I'm in shock. I can't say I love it. I loved Chase and Nikki's relationship. I loved**spoiler alert** Wow, so I did not see the ending coming at all! I'm in shock. I can't say I love it. I loved Chase and Nikki's relationship. I loved how much he loved her pretty much from the start. I loved how she always knew the right things to say to him when he was upset. I loved how perfect they were together. I did not love the ending. Like I said, I did not see it coming.

I'm glad Chase was finally able to cope with his grief. But I hate how he had to get to that point. With that being said though, I might have been okay with the way the story ended except for one thing. I didn't like the whole Brittany story line. I didn't like Brittany from the start. I hated how they flirted with each other when Chase was with Nikki. One time I remember specifically, was when they were all walking into the school together, Chase was holding Nikki's hand and smiled flirtatiously at Brittany. That made me mad. Then at Nikki's funeral, Brittany being all "supportive." I didn't see it that way, I saw it as her way to get closer to him. Telling him she was there if he ever needed her. It felt like she was coming on to him, THE DAY OF NIKKI'S FUNERAL!!! Then in the end, you find out he married her?! Ugh no way. I'm glad he was able to move on, I'm glad he was able to get on with his life, but I didn't like that he moved on with Brittany. Because I didn't like his relationship with her from the start. She felt too much like competition for Nikki. That whole ending left a bad taste in my mouth. I think he should have met someone else at college, OR his relationship with Brittany should have been less flirty throughout the book. If she were more like Tana, just an acquaintance that he ended up marrying I would have been much happier with that.

Blah,I realize that I'm focusing on a very minor part of the story, but it just really ruined the whole story for me. It's terrible to say this, but Nikki dying didn't ruin it for me, the fact that he ended up with Brittany did. So I gave it 3 stars, because I liked the story about Chase and Nikki, but I had to drop 2 stars because of Brittany.

I just read a bunch of reviews and I'm so surprised that I only found 1 reviewer that was upset by the Brittany thing. Did their relationship throughout the book not bother anyone else? What the heck?...more

Wow so this was raw and shocking at some parts. I loved it. I loved how much music was in it and who doesn't love hot rock stars.

I was really impressWow so this was raw and shocking at some parts. I loved it. I loved how much music was in it and who doesn't love hot rock stars.

I was really impressed with how Olivia Cunning gave all the band members such differing personalities. They all had their own quirks that made them so much more real and not just characters in a book.

I fell in love with Brian. How could you not? Rock star + hopeless romantic = YES PLEASE! I love the alpha male characters in books, but some of my most favorite characters are the ones that look hard and untouchable on the outside but are sweet and emotional once someone looks past their outer appearance.

Those are some of my favorite characters and Brian Sinclair will most definitely joining the list.

BUT because I loved Brian so much, I got to where I didn't care for Myrna much at all. Gosh, I know she had some issues with commitment, but I hated how she continually shredded Brian's heart. OK so maybe it wasn't that bad, but I thought she was kind of callous at times. I did enjoy their story though. Despite my irritation with Myrna. Sometimes I just didn't think she acted like a 35 year old either. I thought she sort of acted more like she was in her mid 20's.

This book was pretty hott! One of my favorite scenes was near the beginning when Brian first started hearing music when he was with Myrna and he wrote the notes on her body... so hott. I also thought it was pretty funny, there many spots that had me laughing and smiling, causing family members to dart strange looks in my direction.

I did have a problem with the ending. I thought it ended rather abruptly. I would have liked an epilogue. So when I get on here to write my review I find out Olivia Cunning DID write an epilogue. I got excited. Hopped on over to Amazon to download immediately and couldn't find it. So I go to her website to find out her freakin' publisher won't let her publish it. What the heck?! So flipping annoying.

Even so, I can't WAIT to read the stories for the rest of the band members. Especially Jace. I really liked him, and his quiet shyness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAVORITE QUOTES

OK so there were lots of quotes that were favorites, but I didn't mark them all because I needed to draw a line somewhere. So I picked the sweetest... and ones that I thought were pretty funny.

"You look gorgeous," he said, kissing her again.

"You look... mysterious." She tapped the brim of his hat with her fingertips.

"It seems we have a lot of rabid fans in Portland." He chuckled. "I've been dodging them all day. Poor Sed had the shirt ripped off his back this morning."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"So my plan to rip your shirt off isn't very original."

~Brian and Myrna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you pouting because I have to work?"

" I don't pout."

Sure looked like pouting to her. "Are you whining because I have to work?"

"No, I'm whining because you'd rather work than spend a week in L.A. with me." Under his breath, he muttered, "Why do I always sound like the chick in this relationship?"

~Myrna and Brian

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"If my heart grows any fonder, it's going to hop out of my chest and into yours."

~Myrna and Brian

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ah Myrna, I think I've loved you since I took my first breath."

~Brian

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then one of my favorites that was said by about 4 people in a span of 5 pages was.

I loved this book, but I'm kinda bummed. I was really looking forward to this book being released and bought it immediately. It was a great read. I loI loved this book, but I'm kinda bummed. I was really looking forward to this book being released and bought it immediately. It was a great read. I loved all of it. I knew it was a short story, but I got so lost in Gabe and Melanie's story that when I got to the end I was completely caught off guard. I thought there was more of their story left to be told. :( I felt unsatisfied at the end because I was so excited with the possibilities for their relationship. I wanted more. So that was why I couldn't give it 5 stars.

Travis Barker doesn't really look like the Gabe I pictured, too many tattoos, but at least he has the mohawk.

Ugh, it has taken me a long time to finally write my review for this . . .

And the reason is because I HATE myself right now. I hate that I can't justUgh, it has taken me a long time to finally write my review for this . . .

And the reason is because I HATE myself right now. I hate that I can't just say I loved this book, that it was everything I was hoping for.

I can't say that.

I was so excited for this book, but just felt like I was reading Beautiful Disaster all over again. There wasn't much new stuff to it, and I didn't really feel like I was in Travis's head much. I didn't feel as though I knew him better. His thoughts were predictable and kind of skimmed over. I thought the whole book felt rushed.

I just HATE that I didn't love this!!

I really wanted to love the crap out of this book, as much as I do the first book. That's enough, I'm not going to say anymore.

I watched her for a moment, staring into her glassed-over eyes. She was drunk, but just for a moment it didn't seem wrong to pretend that she meant it.

"I might love you in this one."

~Abby and Travis

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Listen to yourself!" Shepley yelled. "You followed Abby all the way from Kansas to keep her out of trouble. Look at her! She has a dangerous level of alcohol in her system, and she is unconscious! That isn't behavior you should be okay with!"

America's eyes narrowed. "Oh! Thanks for the public service announcement about what not to do in college, Mr. Eighteen-year-old-frat-boy-with-eleventy-billion-'serious'-girlfriends-under-his-belt!"

Again, this didn't need to be 3 books. Really annoying! Also I can't believe I spent $2.99 on a book that was probably 50 pages. What was I thinking?!Again, this didn't need to be 3 books. Really annoying! Also I can't believe I spent $2.99 on a book that was probably 50 pages. What was I thinking?!

I just don't believe it took a whole freakin' year for the two of them to finally admit their feelings for each other. A YEAR of being in the same house, the same bed as husband and wife and they never had a meaningful conversation or said something heartfelt that would give the other person some sort of indication that they had feelings for them? GGRRRRR Annoying. I don't believe it.

I also don't believe the whole poem scene. If she had feelings for Brad she wouldn't have been writing poetry about having an affair on her husband. Poetry is usually reflective of your feelings. Her poetry would have been about loving her husband and him not knowing it. Keeping her feelings hidden from him for a year. She had more than enough emotional turmoil to pump out some poems without making drama up. I just don't believe that she would write a fake story when she had so much emotional stuff all bottled up already....more

**spoiler alert** Wow so I was really enjoying this series until the last page. It ended very abruptly. I definitely think a lot of their problems wer**spoiler alert** Wow so I was really enjoying this series until the last page. It ended very abruptly. I definitely think a lot of their problems were solved at the end. But I still would have liked to see how everyone reacted to his decision to marry Liz, especially now that he is King. I have a feeling that his mother and sister would not be as outspoken about his choice in a wife, but I'm not sure, I would have liked to see read about that. I would have liked to read the conversation that inevitably would take place between Liz and Tatiana. I would have liked to read an epilogue of their wedding, or wedding night, or them bringing their first child into the world. I wanted more closure. A glimpse into their future. Because books 2 and 3 made it glaringly obvious Liz was going to have a hard time fitting in. I think the Country accepted her, but his family did not. I wanted some acceptance there.

I loved how honest Liz and Alex were with each other. Their problems were not created by themselves being insecure. They were created by everyone around them. And up until the end Liz always told him what was bothering her whenever he asked. I loved the ending, despite the fact that I thought it was abrupt. But I loved that even when Liz was trying to spout what she thought were good reasons to leave, he saw right through her and called he on it. He could read her so well and knew her heart even after the short time they had spent together.

Oh well, overall I really enjoyed this story though. It was really cute. Every girls dream right? To have a Prince fall in love with her. And Alex was such a sweet, honest, caring Prince who so obviously adored Liz. It was easy to fall in love with these two.

I did catch one error. In books 1 and 2 the Country was Moldovia. But in this book it was Moldavia....more

So Goodreads has this listed as the second book in the series but it is actually first. It gave me a little heart attack when I came here and thoughtSo Goodreads has this listed as the second book in the series but it is actually first. It gave me a little heart attack when I came here and thought I read the second book before the first AGAIN, because I am always doing that it seems.

So I think this book should be renamed Tales from the Trailer Park. The people and places were all very run down and poor and lets not forget the old beat up Camaro.

(The rest of this review contains spoilers... So read at your own risk.(view spoiler)[

Okay seriously though, I thought this book started out good. I was really into it. I love it when the two main characters have a history together. But then Gareth kisses her and bites her, then acts like nothing happened and walks out of the room after telling her she will ride in his car even though she wanted space and wanted to walk, I was like..

But I like the dominant male thing, so I got over it. But then he's all scary werewolf, killing and ripping other wolves apart, Maddy is obviously scared because he just totally turned inTO A WOLF. So she wants to run. Naturally. But then he grabs her and starts making out with her. (which I thought was gross, because wasn't he just using his mouth to tear flesh apart?)

But, again he was able to calm her down, so I got over it. Then a little later, after she walks out of Isak's house after the manipulative shewolf puts doubts in Maddy's head. Gareth doesn't bother to go after her, when he KNOWS the shewolf provoked Maddy, he KNEW she was super upset, but no he stays put for another hour, while she is outside in the rain when he knows that the car is locked. She gets taken, he finds her and saves her from the abductors, of course she is still mad. He takes her to the hotel and forces his kisses on her again in the elevator. She falls under his spell again and then he just stops and walks away expecting her to follow. She feels used, he was a jerk so she tells him that. What does he do? He literally drags her down the hall. Thats right she falls and he drags her...

Now this girl has been getting beat up by her step dad for the past 7 years and she is allowing this? Because she is attracted to Gareth physically? But then again they always say victims of abuse always end up in those kinds of relationships again and again, so maybe they were perfect for each other. The thing is Gareth didn't hit her, but he was rough and borderline violent. So anyway, she lets him violate her some more ends up hiding under the bed and then he makes her come out and seduces her again and her anger melts away.

OK whatever. I'm getting a little annoyed at this point. Because Maddy has no backbone! So the challenge has arrived. Gareth asks Maddy to trust him no matter what. She says she will. Instead of asking her to trust him, why didn't he give her a little heads up on what to expect. Like the fact that he was going to turn into an animal... and I don't mean the literal kind. I mean he stays in human form, but gets all animalistic and predator like. Maddy is scared he's going to rip her throat out, and he likes it. He likes that he's scaring her. What. The. Heck?! What happened to him being her protector? The girl has been traumatized enough, in the last week, not to mention the last 7 years. So he stalks her rips her clothes off, then parades her in front of the rest of the pack in her underwear and his jacket. He kills Kane and then claims Maddy in front of the pack... Claims as in takes her virginity. In front of the whole pack.

But WAIT! Maddy FINALLY stands up for herself. She finally calls him out on his disgusting behavior. She leaves. He doesn't go right after her... again. She keeps walking, she goes all the way back home. He comes and saves her from her stupid step dad and she still leaves. She tries to get away from him again. He of course follows. She tells him she hates him, she tells him he humiliated her, she says all the things I was hoping she would say to him. Made him feel like crap. Knocked him down a peg or two. Maddy grew a backbone. I was all like YAY!!!!

But that lasted for all of 5 seconds, because then I was all, ooohh.

Because as soon as she grew a backbone... she lost it almost immediately.

She tells him she hates him and then asks him to make love to her all in the same 5 minute conversation. Really? The girl just had her virginity taken from her, violently, a few hours prior. Her stepdad knocked her in the head a couple times until she was seeing stars, then he almost strangled to the point of passing out, and she wants to have sex? I'm thinking her body needs a break. But most of all, there is NO way she would find pleasure after the way her virginity was taken... no way.

So Maddy disappointed me. Of course I wanted them to end up together, but not so easily. Gareth did have some redeeming qualities. Like the fact that he ALWAYS found her and always saved her. He obviously loved her and was very protective of her. But Gareth screwed up over and OVER in my opinion. He had really bad communication skills. For example telling her what to expect at the challenge and then maybe give her the choice of the public claiming, or tell her he could make her a werewolf. She didn't even know that was an option! MAYBE she would have liked the idea of finally being able to fight for herself. I think she would have wanted to be a werewolf.

But he made the decision for her and acted all caveman on her, I think he needed to learn that he can't treat her like the way he did, animal or not, Alpha or no Alpha Maddy was a broken girl who needed to be treated with respect and kindness. But he was such a jerk. I think she needed to make him grovel some more. He needed to be away from her for a longer period of time to really appreciate what he lost. He needed to get how much he hurt her and I just don't think he did.

OK well, on to the next book since I bought them at the same time. Maybe it was just THIS story. Just these characters that I didn't get. I did like the writing and the story line. I think the author is a good story teller. She sucked me right in and despite all the stuff I just said, she still was able to write Gareth in a way that made me like him. What the heck?! I just complained my whole review about him, and I still like him? I'm as bad as Maddy. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

Ok so I loved this book. But it annoyed me too! This was a mix of two of things. My favorite kind of love story and my most hated conflict.

I loved AngOk so I loved this book. But it annoyed me too! This was a mix of two of things. My favorite kind of love story and my most hated conflict.

I loved Angel. One of my favorite situations for a story is when a player/bad boy is emotionally brought to his knees by a girl. When he just can't help falling in love with her and doesn't care how whipped he is. I love that. That was this book.

But I hate it when a character is hiding something and keeps putting off telling the other person the truth. Then the longer they hold off the worse it looks for them when they actually come clean and tell their secret. Ugh it is a pet peeve of mine. That was also this book.

So basically I love, love, loved Sarah and Angel's relationship. He couldn't stop touching her and thinking about her and wanting to be with her. And on the flip side Sarah was not your typical annoying girl. She is not too clingy or possessive or jealous. She has a moment where she gets upset about girl from his past and she confronts him and he takes care of it. I liked all that. I liked their dynamic.

I DIDN'T like that she wouldn't just TELL him about Sydney. She should have told him the first time he referred to him as a her. I HATE that that ended up being the major conflict, because it was so frustrating.

I also had to agree with Angel that Sarah and Sydney's relationship was a little weird. I kept wondering if Sydney was gay at the beginning of the book. Which is terrible. I've had guy friends in school. But most of them ended up wanting to date me, so I can see Angel's point. But, just because that is most people's experience doesn't mean that a guy can't be good friends with a girl and not want a romantic relationship with her. But I think wrestling around on the floor and holding hands, would blur the lines. I don't see how a teenage boy would be able to continue to think of a beautiful girl as his good friend when she is holding his hand and physically wrestling with him. Just my opinion. She said she thought of him as a brother and a best friend... but I don't hold my brother's hand or my best friend's hand after not seeing them for a long time. Just saying.

I hated them being apart. I hated Angel's stubbornness, and unwillingness to listen to her reasons, even after he cooled off. It was sort of gut wrenching. I hated that they were both hurting. But that makes the reunion so much sweeter, and yet, I wish the reunion would have been dragged out a bit. (view spoiler)[One second they were yelling at each other and then they were kissing and smiling and acted like the last few weeks hadn't even happened. I wanted some more... something, emotion maybe? I expected more relief from Angel when he understood everything, but he just jumped her. Oh well, I need to stop being so picky about these things. It was still a great book that I really enjoyed. But despite the lack of emotion or whatever it was I was wanting more of , I was SO glad that it didn't just end right there. (hide spoiler)] After their reunion I was SO scared that that would be the end of the book, but I turned the page to a new chapter and had to breath a sigh of relief. I'm SO glad she wrote more. That made me so happy. :)

I also loved how she set up for her other books. There were two other relationships that were started and primed for more books. Now I can't wait to read them. On to the next!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAVORITE QUOTE

"[...] I just don't want to smother you Angel. I want you to still have your space."

"You have it all wrong, Sarah," he said "If anyone is gonna have to watch the smothering, it's gonna be me. In case you haven't noticed, I just can't get enough of you."

I read this because of reviews I found on here. A couple of friends read it and raved about it. But honestly I was a little disappointed it. Maybe itI read this because of reviews I found on here. A couple of friends read it and raved about it. But honestly I was a little disappointed it. Maybe it was because the reviews I read raised my expectations, but I was frustrated with a lot of parts of this book.

The main one being Jessa. That girl drove me nuts. She was a horrible friend. Volunteering her best friend to be on a bachelorette show without asking her? Yeah right. I would have been so angry.

Another thing that sort of annoyed me was that Taycee talked about the love of her life, Luke. He ruined all men for her. She couldn't find happiness with anyone because no one compared to Luke. She was devastated that he left town and didn't come back or keep in touch. Then you find out he left (for college!) when she was 14!

I'm sorry, I thought that Luke was a past relationship, not a teenage crush. She couldn't find anyone who compared to a man who treated her like a little sister? I just thought that part of the story was ridiculous.

Oh well, it was a cute story, I was just annoyed by certain aspects of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FAVORITE QUOTES

Luke wasn't supposed to be the kind of guy who would sweep her floor so she could eat. He was supposed to be thoughtless, annoying and forgetful. He was supposed to be a jerk.

Hmmm. . . maybe he could be a jerk for not being a jerk. Yeah, that might work.

First off I want to say my rating has nothing to do with how well this book is written. It was a pretty good story except I'm a love story kind of a gFirst off I want to say my rating has nothing to do with how well this book is written. It was a pretty good story except I'm a love story kind of a girl. And this was most definitely NOT a love story. This was about a girl who fell for two rock stars and realized that in the entertainment industry publicity is publicity good or bad, and when you are a star or a rising star you WANT either kind even if you have to use the people close to you to get it. Unfortunately Emily had to learn the hard way who could be trusted and who her real friends were.

I just didn't care for it. Like I said, it was a good story about a girl taking control of her life and weeding out the toxic relationships, but I love a love story. This wasn't it.

This book reminded me a lot of Indigo Blues. So if you liked that book, then you will probably enjoy this book too....more

This book was crazy. Raw, emotional, mean, vulgar, unapologetic, crazy just plain crazy. The "f" word was used so many times that when I searched it on my kindle it asked me to narrow my search because there were over 500 results and that was only about half way through the book!

I do want to say first off that the author has balls. To make your characters so hard to like. But I think she really stayed true to the MC way of life. My husband has read a ton of books about the Hell's Angels and biographies about under cover agents infiltrating MC's and their experiences. Some of the stuff he has told me is just crazy. Things that go on in those clubs... or use to back in the 60's, 70's and 80's. So this book was entirely believable from that aspect. I think she nailed it.

My only problem with it is, I can only take so much crap from the "hero" before I can't forgive him anymore. That started happening in this book for me. I love me some alpha male, bad boys. But one of my favorite things about the alpha male, bad boys is when they behave uncharacteristically when they meet "the woman." The one that changes them. I can excuse some mistakes, but cheating? Cheating is a tough one for me to get over. But most especially cheating when it happens over and over again and so "in your face." I just don't get how Deuce would sing Eva's praises and then turn around and disrespect her so terribly. BUT, after saying this I realize if he didn't act the way he did then the book would have been cliche' and it wouldn't stand out as much as it does.

Throughout the whole book I was reminded of Sons of Anarchy. But the problem was I kept comparing it to SoA. The main comparison I kept coming back to was that they treat their women better in that show. There is definitely cheating that goes on, but overall they seem to respect them more.

I do want to point out that I'm not talking about all women. I'm talking about THE woman, their "old lady." Because they definitely don't treat all women with respect.

But this review is about the book not a tv show, so moving on. I had experienced such a range of emotions reading this book. I felt hopeful, intrigued, happy, anger, and even loss. I felt a loss for what could have been. If Deuce would have removed his head from his butt, I think every one would have been a lot happier a lot earlier... well maybe not Frankie.

I really don't know how to rate this. So I just decided to go right down the middle and give it 3 stars. It was a really well told story. But by the end so much bad stuff had happened, I wasn't sure I could forgive the characters for all the pain they caused each other. Mainly Deuce. I had a hard time forgiving him. He loved her innocence, and yet he contributed to her losing it, and I'm not just talking about taking her virginity. I'm talking about the first time she went to Montana and he ripped a big chunk of her naiveté and innocence away with his actions and the way he treated her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can't believe I forgot to add my FAVORITE QUOTES

Frankie would fight with a brick wall if it pissed him off. You would not believe just how many walls have pissed Frankie off.

This is the first scene where you meet Chase. In this scene I liked him. He made me laugh. Then later in the book I thought he was scum. Then when I realized how much he just wanted to be loved I ended up liking him again. Or maybe not liking him, but I felt bad for him, despite his scummy way of trying to get it.

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Crazy. This book was just a crazy hot mess. And I know I will probably come back and add more thoughts as this book sinks in, over the next few days but for now I will close with another gif of Jax from SoA. *sigh*

OK I loved this story, I really did but there were little details that bugged me. I just couldn't believe that Jesse was that bad. I kind of felt likeOK I loved this story, I really did but there were little details that bugged me. I just couldn't believe that Jesse was that bad. I kind of felt like the author tried to hard to make him evil so we wouldn't sympathize with him. But I didn't like it. It seemed so off from who he was in the first book. Lacey picked Cole, I was definitely team Cole, and I was wondering how the author was going to handle the Jesse situation, and I was kind of disappointed. It sucked for Jesse, but I just didn't think him being a completely different character was believable. It made for a good story though. I just wish there would have been glimpses of this evil character in the first book, it would have made it much easier to accept.

But the BIGGEST thing that got me was the ending. (view spoiler)[Why, why, why was it just accepted that Jesse died when he fell the same way Cole did? They searched for Cole, Lacey thought he survived, AND HE DID! So why the heck, when Jesse fell from the cliff THE SAME WAY was it just assumed by everyone he was dead? No one went looking for him. I don't get it. That annoyed the crap out of me. (hide spoiler)]

Again, even though I complained about the small details, I really, really liked this whole story. Also I know I said this in my review for the second book, but I feel like I got the ending I had been craving in the Nightshade series. So thank you Elaine Pierson, for giving that to me. :)...more

Ava is an interior designer who is rising in her field. She gets a request for a manor out in the country that she finds odd since her style is modernAva is an interior designer who is rising in her field. She gets a request for a manor out in the country that she finds odd since her style is modern, not country. But her boss sends her anyway because the owner specially requests her. When she arrives at the manor, she is blown away with its vastness and elegance. She feels way out of her league before she even walks in the door. But when she meets the owner she is even more flustered. Jesse Ward is slightly older than Ava, but looks at her and smiles at her with an interest that sends her thoughts spinning in every direction. She can't wait to get away from him so she can get her body and mind under control. When she finally does get away she decides to hand the job off to her boss. But Jesse is not having it. Jesse wants Ava.

This was such a frustrating book. I was drawn in immediately, I couldn't put it down. BUT there were times that I just got so frustrated with the characters. And I think this book could have been half the length it was because it was really repetitive and looking back, it seemed as though the same situations kept happening, with the same results. It was like banging my head against a wall.

Jesse was over the top controlling. To the point it was making me mad. Ava acts like she is independent and has a good head on her shoulders, but its all talk, because her actions prove that she is in fact a doormat. I was able to overlook a lot of their behaviors and decisions, but the scene where he destroyed her dress had me flipping livid! WHY did she stay? WHY would she put up with that crap? Jesse should have been the one groveling after that. Yes, she wore it to get back at him knowing he wouldn't like it, and yes she drank after she told him she wouldn't, but Jesse crossed a line.(view spoiler)[ When he cut up her dress!!! (hide spoiler)] And then SHE is the one who ends up apologizing! UGH!!

Annoying parts aside, I craved the parts where Jesse was sweet. He is trying with everything in him to hold on to Ava. He sends her flowers and gifts and tries to hold onto her in an almost manic sort of way, which is why Ava pushes him away. You get the impression that he is not familiar how to date, or how to even tell her thats what he wants.

Which brings me to another frustrating aspect. I was so tired of her asking questions and him shutting her down immediately. At some point she would have had enough I thought. What kind of relationship can you have with someone if every time you try to have a conversation they shut you down when it gets the least bit personal. How well did they really know each other? And how could they know each other enough to fall in love. It seems like Ava would have been very guarded because Jesse was so guarded. You can feel it when someone is holding something back, and usually it keeps the other person from ever truly letting them in.

And with all that said. I still couldn't put it down. I was still extremely engrossed in the story. And I still can't wait to read the next book. I have a feeling Jesse and Ava will have staying power within my thoughts.

Also a weird part of this book was the use of the english language. I realize that the author is british but I thought her use of the word stood and sat were weird. I've read other british authors and I don't remember them using phrases like: I'm stood in my bra, knickers and heels... or A few men are sat on the bar stools... I'm assuming this was just a british way of writing that I have just never come across, but it was a little distracting.

**spoiler alert** I liked it but I didn't love it. I didn't like how Razer treated Beth in the beginning, and honestly I didn't think Beth would have**spoiler alert** I liked it but I didn't love it. I didn't like how Razer treated Beth in the beginning, and honestly I didn't think Beth would have been so promiscuous raised in the strict environment that she was. How did she not see that he was interested in one thing when he asked her out? She saw him being pleasured by another woman the week before their date! Why? Just why?

Something that bugged me about this book, was the moment that Razer should have been there for her the most, he wasn't. After Razer realized he made a mistake with Beth I was sort of hoping he would have made a bigger effort to make up for his mistake. Then when he should have been there for her near the end and he pulled away "to protect her." It just annoyed me, especially how he acted when she came to the house to confront him. I just thought it was unnecessary. He could have gotten word to her instead of hurting her the way he did. After that happened I don't think I ever would have gone back no matter the circumstances. I thought Beth was sort of weak that way. She KNEW she couldn't live the lifestyle the motorcycle club lived and he told her over and over he was not a one woman man and she still stayed with him. Weak.

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I did however have a FAVORITE QUOTE

"How long are you going to stay mad?" He asked picking up his hamburger.

"At least past the date you had tatted on your razor knife."

"Still can't understand why you're so mad. I thought it would make you happy," Razer said in his own defense.

"Most women get engaged with a romantic dinner and a ring, not pointing to a tattoo then saying "let's do it."

"No sense in putting it off, with a bun in the oven," Razer shrugged.

Beth choked on her own hamburger.

"I am not pregnant." She said to Lily who was laughing at the couple's argument.

Dang it I wrote out this long review and somehow refreshed the page. DANG IT!!

So basically I didn't get why he just walked away and never came back.Dang it I wrote out this long review and somehow refreshed the page. DANG IT!!

So basically I didn't get why he just walked away and never came back. If he loved her so much and was writing all these songs about her, then why didn't he ever seek her out? I just didn't think he made amends for that. He was accepted back into their circle, especially by her best friend way to quickly. IMO...more

This was a book about two people who belonged together. But somewhere a long the way they broke apart and never put the pieces back together. Lil hasThis was a book about two people who belonged together. But somewhere a long the way they broke apart and never put the pieces back together. Lil has been living a pretty empty existence since Sam left 3 years ago. She says she's over him and has moved on, but she hasn't bothered to date in the 3 years since he left. No one compares to her Sam. Except Sam is no longer hers. He is engaged, in fact, to his bosses daughter. But one morning Sam has an accident and slips into a coma. When he wakes up he thinks it is 3 years earlier and can't for the life of him figure out why his girlfriend Lil isn't by his side in the hospital.

The two of them embark on a journey through the past, rehashing all of their old wounds, reliving the pain from 3 years ago, and learning what happened to their perfect, loving relationship.

First I want to start off by saying I could not put this book down. I was sucked in from the very beginning, I couldn't read fast enough in the first couple chapters. I wanted to get to the good stuff. I was so engrossed I could feel the emotions with the characters. I was angry and sad and happy when the characters were.

Sam was so sweet. I felt so bad for him in the beginning, feeling lost and confused, not understanding what had happened in the past and no one would tell him. But as the story went on and we learned more about what Sam did I felt less and less sympathy. (view spoiler)[ But most especially when he got his memory back. I HATED the way he was unsure about how to handle Chloe. I hated that girl, and I hated that he didn't just drop her immediately. I hated that after he regained his memory he left Lil... again. He let her think he was going through with the marriage, and waited until the evening of his wedding to confess to her. WHY?! Why put her through all that again? That kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. He should have reassured her the moment he got his memory back, that he wasn't going anywhere. He acted like he had a decision to make, but he didn't. He said over and over that he would not leave the love of his life again. Another thing that I just didn't get was WHY did he think Lil should come looking for him when HE was the one who left her? He leaves her to give her space, telling her he will be back and then he never comes back and ends up dating some rich snobby girl totally ditching Lil, hoping she will seek him out? What? Who does that? Why on earth would he think she would ever seek him out after he left her and moved on so quickly? Again, that really bothered me. (hide spoiler)] So although I liked the story, I couldn't put it down, there were parts that just really bothered me to the point that I feel like a black cloud is hanging over me when I think back on the book.

Oh yeah, and how exactly does one arch an eye? That phrase was used a number of times, "he arched an eye at her." I'm assuming the author meant eyebrow? Because I have tried and I can't seem to arch my eye.

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FAVORITE QUOTE

"I'm not asking for a second chance with her, Ellie. I'm asking for forever."

Ally and Kale had great chemistry right from the start. I loved their banter and playfulness. I loved Kale. He was very real. I loved that he wasn't fAlly and Kale had great chemistry right from the start. I loved their banter and playfulness. I loved Kale. He was very real. I loved that he wasn't flawless.

He stood again to strip his own jeans and nearly tumbled over. "Sh*t. Pretend that didn't happen."

But near the end his character confused me. He did so much to reassure Ally and to be there for her, but then he sort of pulled away. I didn't really understand or think that fit his character up until that point. But I LOVED the ending. When everything with her stalker came to a head and he finally made contact. I just loved the story from there on out.

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FAVORITE QUOTES

"You knew, you're kind of sexy when you're pissed."

I leaned back to look at him, my eyes narrowing. "Then I bet I'm supermodel-gorgeous right now."

~Kale and Ally

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"Because I didn't want to scare you away. But now you've had a night to adjust and if I scare you off, then it wasn't meant to be."

"You don't believe in kismet, remember?"

"True, but it doesn't mean I don't think it exists."

"Actually, I think that's exactly what it means."

~Kale and Ally

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Kale stared at me. "You okay, babe?"

"I'm...I don't know what I am, to be honest," I said with a laugh. "No, I think I'm pissed."

"Pissed is good. As long as it's not directed at me, that is. Our first fight has to be over something really good, like when I do something utterly stupid."

I shifted to look at him better, appreciating what he was trying to do. "Oh, like what?'

"Like refusing you sex when I have a headache or something. I'm prone to them, you know. It's bound to happen sooner or later."

OK so after such a promising start to a series I am so disappointed that the book took a real nose dive. Basically Brandon and Katie are in a power stOK so after such a promising start to a series I am so disappointed that the book took a real nose dive. Basically Brandon and Katie are in a power struggle. Brandon acts like he loves Katie one second and then throws her a curve ball and acts like he hates her the next. Katie Is an idiot who has no self control or brain power, apparently, when Brandon touches her. He humiliates her and breaks her heart and she decides that she can't take anymore and the second he touches her with his pinky, she falling into him setting herself up for more heartache.

I can't decide if there is anything about Brandon that I like. I keep telling myself, he is the love interest, I'm supposed to want them together, but I can't stand him. He's a butthole!

And Katie is really ticking me off. She decides she has had enough and I'm like YES, finally! She has finally had enough of his crap. Then she turns around and does it all over again.

It also took a turn down corny street. The warrior princess flashback...

I stupidly bought all three books at once without reading the first page of the first book. Although after reading the first book I would have bought

I stupidly bought all three books at once without reading the first page of the first book. Although after reading the first book I would have bought the other two right away. What a waste of money and time. But I HAD to finish it because I flippin' paid for this crap.

So I pushed through, although I had to make myself read it.

Brandon is such a douche. He is a manipulator and he thinks he is justified. There were so many "curve balls" in this last book, it just got ridiculous.

So this was all a big test. Lets mentally abuse this woman and emotionally break her to see if she will stick around? Geez, she was 18 freaking years old! Give her a break. Any sane woman would have walked away from this psycho.

Wasn't Brandon lying too?

Because he KNEW the whole time he KNEW and he bated her and made it harder for her to tell the truth with the things he said. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't run away again?

First of all, I didn't think she ran. He is the who one took her in the alley and used her and then dumped her by the trash, breaking her so completely, why would she ever think he would want to hear from her again? Then to find out he KNEW? What was that about then? Why was he so mad when her lies were exposed? Why did he angrily take her to the alley and use her and leave her if HE KNEW ALL ALONG? It makes no sense. I find it funny that this whole series is centered on the fact that she lied about her age, and yet HOW OLD IS Brandon?? 40-something? He has got to be the most immature 40-something I have ever heard of! GROW UP!

So after all this abuse, he wants to know if she will stay and choose him. Why? Thats not strength or love. Strength would have been if she turned around and walked away from him without ever looking back. Katie needed to love herself and stay away from that man. She was a doormat.

I feel like the authors were going for an alpha male like Gideon Cross or Christian Grey, where they mess up and you ache over the conflicts between the characters, but then you find out why they did the things they did and you end up feeling for them, and loving them for their flaws. This was a far cry from that. This was just a train wreck.

I just can't believe there are so many good reviews for this series.

Where was the angry panda when this story was being written?

Oh and there is a 4th book coming out?

I'm not touching it, after feeling frustrated and angry for this whole book I don't have the strength or the want to attempt a fourth.